Snuffer



Jan? 2, 1951 s. T. ATTERBURY 2,536,900

` K SNUFFER Filed May 2l, 1948 IN V EN TOR.

Patented Jan. 2, l1951 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE 2 Claims.

This invention relates to a new and improved snuffer and more particularly to a snuffer designed for use with a cigarette or the like to snui out the re in the burning end of the cigarette.

Cigarettes are normally made from tobacco treated with other agents and of a character whichcauses the treated tobacco to burn continuously after it is once lighted. Thus,` lighted and partially consumed cigarettes constitute a disposal problem and involve a fire hazard unless the re is fu11y extinguished. The usual methods of attempting to extinguishv such cigarettes by grinding out the burning end against some object are time consuming and often messy and ineffective.

It is an object of the present invention to provide simple and eiective means for extinguishing the re on a cigarette or the like.

It is a further object to provide a cigarette eX- tinguisher carried by the cigarette.

It is also an object to provide an extinguisher which is so designed that it may readily be applied to the cigarettes and packaged therewith It is an additional object to provide an extinguisher or snuffer of this type which operates easily and efficiently.

Other and further objects will appear as the description proceeds.

I havel shown certain preferred embodiments of my' invention in the accompanying drawings, in which- Figure 1 is a face view of the blank for one form of snuier;

Figure 2 is an elevation, partly in section, of the snuffer of Figure 1 applied to a cigarette;

Figure 3 is a View similar to Figure 2, but showing the snuiier in operative position;

Figure 4 is a section taken on line 4-4 of Figure 3;

Figure 5 is a section taken on line 5-5 of Figure 3;

Figure 6 is a view similar to Figure 1 showing a modied form of construction;

Figure 7 is a view similar to Figure 2 showing the construction of Figure 6 applied to a cigarette; and

Figures 8, 9 and 10 are sectional views taken on an enlarged scale and showing modified forms of construction.V

Referring rst to Figures 1 to 5 inclusive, the snuiier blank I I comprises a body and a plurality of diagonally extending tongues I3. These tongues are formed integrally with the body of the snuiier and are iurther provided with notched portions I4 to facilitate the overlapping of the 2. tongues.` A. tab I5 coated with adhesive in pro vided and serves to secure the snuffer in cylin drical form to i'it on a cigarette. Before the snuier is tted on the cigarette, the tongues I3 are folded back against the inner face of the body in the manner shown in Figure 2.

They form of construction shown in Figure 6 comprises a snuffer Il having tongues I8 inr each side. Thev snuiier' is also provided with the adhesive coated iiap 20 which serves to hold it in cylindrical` form on the cigarette. This form of snuler is shown in Figure 7 mounted on the ciga rette.

The snuffer is formed of thin sheet material. which is iire resistant and which is resilient to some extent. This material may consist of a dense, hard but thin paper or paper coated or impregnated with any of the known chemicals which give re resistant properties to such material. For example, the paper may be coated with any suitable fire resistant acetates, or synthetic material. It may, if desired, be coated with a thin metal foil. It will be understood that the heat which it mustA resist from the lighted cigarette is not high in temperature andl will not be appliedto it for any great length of time. Hence, a comparatively low degree of lire resistance is adaquate for thev purpose intended.

It is desirable that the material have a sufficient inherent resiliency so that the tongues will spring upwardly or towards the center of the sleeve when the snuier sleeve is pushed to a position in which the tongues clear the end of the cigarette or are merely opposite loose ashes. This, again, does not require great resilience.

The forms of construction shown in Figures 8 to 10 inclusive provide means for increasing the eiiective action of the folded over tongues in springing upwardly when slid past the end of the cigarette. In Figure 8, the sleeve 23 is shown as provided with a tongue 24 having a reverse bend 25. In Figure 9, the sleeve 2l is provided with a separate strip 28 secured to the inner face of the sleeve by an adhesive and with its central portion creased and held above the sleeve as shown at 29. This tends to force upwardly the tongues 30, as shown in the drawing. The construction of Figure 10 provides a supporting member integral with the sleeve and tongues. The sleeve 33 is provided with the integral tongues 34 which are folded back upon themselves, as shown at 35, and are then reversely folded to provide a portion 36. This portion 36 is crimped, as shown at 3l, so as to urge the tongues upwardly. It will be understood that all of these 3 drawings are on an enlarged scale and that the material used may be quite thin.

In the use of the snuffer, it will normally be applied by the manufacturer or packager of the cigarette to one end of the Cigarette, as shown in Figure 2. It is not secured to the cigarette, but is slidably fitted thereon. The resilience of the under-folded tongues causes them to press against the cigarette so that, while the snufer is slidable, it maintains itself in the position in which it is located.

After the cigarette has been smoked to the extent desired, before disposing of the butt, the sleeve is slid along to the position shown partially in section in Figure 3. It is actually slid further to the right, as shown in Figure 3, and then drawn back to the left until the tongues assume the position shown in Figure 3. It will be understood that when it is moved to the right sufficiently so that the free edges of the tongues clear the folded portion of the cigarette, these tongues will swing downward slightly. The reverse movement of the sleeve causes the edges of the tongues to engage the ends of the cigarette and to be forced downwardly in overlapping relation to completely close the end of the cigarette, as shown in Figures 3, 4 and 5, closing off the air from the burning cigarette in such manner so as to quickly extinguish the re therein.

The form of construction shown in Figures 6 and '7 operates in the same manner. This snuffer is shown as double ended so that it may be positioned to either end of the cigarette and may, if desired, be initially maintained at an intermediate point on the cigarette. The tongues of Figures 1 and 6 may be reversely bent slightly, as shown in Figure 8, or similar tongues may be used in connection with the means shown in Figures 9 and 10 for urging the tongues inwardly towards the cigarette.

It will be apparent that the snuffer may serve a double purpose as a tip to be placed between the lips of the user in smoking the cigarette. For this purpose, the outer surface of the snuffer may have any suitable coating such as is wellknown in the art. While especially adapted for use with cigarettes, it will be understood that the snuier may also be used with cigars of various sizes.

While I have shown certain preferred forms of my invention, these are to be understood to be 4 illustrative only as it is capable of further modification to meet differing conditions and requirements, and I contemplate such variations as come within the spirit and scope of the appended claims.

I claim:

1. In combination with a cigarette, a sleeve member of resilient material and of substantially cylindrical formation defining a tube completely open at both ends, one of said ends being provided with a plurality of tongues, each of which is dened by folds of the material of the sleeve such that the inner diameter at the fold is less than the inner diameter of the sleeve at a point intermediate the ends thereof and wherein each tongue due to the inherent resiliency of the material of which it is made tends to swing to a position transverse of the longitudinal axis of the sleeve when the sleeve member is pushed to a position in which the tongues clear the end of the cigarette.

2. In combination with a cigarette, a sleeve member of resilient material and of substantially cylindrical formation defining a tube completely open at both ends, said sleeve member having a nre resistant surface, one of said ends being provided with a plurality of tongues, each of which is defined by folds of the material of the sleeve such that the inner diameter at the fold is less than the inner diameter of the sleeve at a point intermediate the ends thereof and wherein each tongue due to the inherent resiliency of the material of which it is made tends to swing to a position transverse of the longitudinal axis of the sleeve when the sleeve member is pushed to a position in which the tongues clear the end of the cigarette, the tongues being so related that in the transverse position they cover the entire cross sectional area of the cigarette.

STANLEY T. ATTERBURY.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the iile of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Millett Nov. 30, 1943 

